26 Facts About Paul Burstow

Paul Burstow was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Health in May 2010, and served in that position until September 2012.

Paul Burstow started his career as a buying assistant with Allied Shoe Repairs in 1985.

Paul Burstow was elected as a councillor for the Social Democratic Party to the Sutton Borough Council in 1986, and was its deputy leader from 1994 to 1997.

Paul Burstow remained a councillor for the Rosehill ward in Sutton until 2002, after his election to Parliament.

Paul Burstow first contested the Sutton and Cheam Parliamentary seat for the Liberal Democrats at the 1992 General Election.

Paul Burstow was defeated by the Conservative Lady Olga Maitland despite achieving one of the largest swings to the Liberal Democrats in London at that election.

Paul Burstow contested the seat again in 1997, this time being elected as its Liberal Democrat MP with a majority of 2,097.

Paul Burstow joined several other new Liberal Democrat MPs, for the party gained many other south-west London seats at that election.

Paul Burstow made his maiden speech on 16 May 1997, speaking passionately about the needs of blind and disabled people.

On his election, Paul Burstow immediately became a party spokesman on the Environment under Paddy Ashdown.

Paul Burstow became the spokesman on Social Security in 1999, on the election of Charles Kennedy as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Paul Burstow was promoted to the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Secretary of State for Health in 2003.

Paul Burstow stepped down from the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet following the 2005 general election, but was appointed as the spokesman on London.

Paul Burstow was voted by MPs as older people's champion in the epolitix Charity Champion awards in December 2005.

At the 2010 general election Paul Burstow was re-elected MP for Sutton and Cheam with a slim majority of 1,608 votes.

Paul Burstow was then appointed Minister of State in the Department of Health in the coalition government.

Paul Burstow was responsible for care services and the elderly, long term conditions and mental health.

Paul Burstow was responsible for developing the Government's mental health strategy and drafting the care provisions of the Care Act.

Paul Burstow left the government in September 2012, and was succeeded as Care Minister by Norman Lamb.

Between 2012 and 2015, when he left Parliament, Paul Burstow led a number of influential policy commissions.

Paul Burstow was appointed Chair of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust from November 2015 to June 2022.

Paul Burstow was invited to become a Trustee of Action on Smoking and Health in 2015 stepping down in 2022.

Paul Burstow was appointed as chair of the charity St Andrew's Healthcare in September 2020.

In 2022 Paul Burstow was appointed as one of the 42 Integrated Care Board Chairs.

Paul Burstow has helped to shape the system partnership across Hertfordshire and West Essex and overseen the appointment of the new Board and is working with local government, NHS and CVFSE partners to develop a 10 year strategy and 5 year joint plan to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population.

Paul Burstow married Mary Burstow, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Cheam, in 1995; they have a son and two daughters.